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Original article written by Student Media, February 24th 2025

Student Media is proud to announce that Hispanic Culture Review (HCR) has been awarded a 2024 National Magazine Pacemaker Award by The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP), the preeminent award in student journalism!

Volition, Mason’s undergraduate literary and arts journal, was named a finalist in the same category!

Congratulations to both journals for earning this tremendous honor!

Click here to download the full press release >

Unofficially known as the “Student Pulitzer,” the Associated Collegiate Press has awarded the Pacemaker to spotlight excellence in college media since 1927. According to the ACP website, this “prestigious award recognizes overall excellence and distinguishes the top student media produced during a particular school year.”

First published in fall 1990, Hispanic Culture Review is a bilingual literary journal at George Mason University that features poetry, essays, narratives, photography, and visual art in both Spanish and English. Celebrating more than 30 years of excellence, HCR’s mission is to bridge communication gaps and strengthen cultural bonds between English- and Spanish-speaking peoples by publishing original works from diverse creators around the world.

Since the first issue of Volition in fall of 2006 (formerly known as Apathy), the publication’s mission has been to unite Mason’s artistic community and serve as a showcase for undergraduate creativity. Publishing original poetry, prose, and visual art, Volition seeks to elevate emerging artists and writers while fostering free expression
on campus.

“Well-deserved but not surprising; both editorial teams consistently create publications that are the best of the best in college media journals,” said Mason Student Media Director Kathryn Mangus.

“I am extremely proud of Mason’s student publications and thrilled to see these two journals recognized nationally by the Pacemaker committee,” said Volition and HCR faculty advisor Jason Hartsel. “Each individual issue is the culmination of many hours of hard work, creativity, and hands-on learning by our talented students, and this award will no doubt inspire future teams to leave behind their own legacy of distinction.”

“It is a profound honor to support this amazing group of students as they share narratives that celebrate Hispanic culture and foster cross-cultural understanding—especially through Mason’s only bilingual literary journal,” said HCR faculty advisor Carla Burns. “I’m continually impressed by their dedication and so proud of this important accomplishment.”

Gary Lundgren, ACP associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition, noted the quality of the winning student magazines rivals those produced by professionals: “The verbal and visual storytelling in the winning magazines is incredible and robust long-form stories combined with shorter quick-reads to pace the reader through the pages of the feature magazines,” Lundgren said. “And the creativity displayed in the literary arts magazines is incredible — the unique formats and creative designs make the magazines themselves a work of art.”

Comprised of more than ten unique student-run media groups that publish original content online and in print, George Mason Student Media "empowers students to exercise their First Amendment rights and creativity through the creation of works that inform, enrich, and entertain the Mason Community." Those outlets include Mason's official student newspaper, radio station, and television network, as well as seven journals/magazines, a sports broadcasting team, and student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Learn more about Student Media by visiting studentmedia.gmu.edu or following @gmustudentmedia on X/Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Homecoming Highlights

Homecoming Tip-Off & Lip Sync Battle (Jan. 31)

The week kicked off with high energy as students competed in a Lip Sync Battle, showcasing their creativity and stage presence. This event set the tone for an exciting Homecoming week.

Taco Tuesday Trivia (Feb. 4)

Mason students gathered at Banditos for a special Homecoming edition of Taco Tuesday Trivia. Great food, challenging questions, and friendly competition made for a fun night.

Day of Service (Feb. 5)

Giving back to the community was a key part of Homecoming. Students participated in various service projects, including

INOVA Blood Drive – Students donated blood to help local hospitals and those in need.

Pack the Truck – A food drive collected nonperishable donations for the Patriot Pantry and Food for Others.

Campus Gardens Harvesting – Volunteers worked at the Presidents Park Greenhouse, supporting sustainability efforts.

Additional Service Projects – Activities like plant pot decorating, snack bag packing, and cardboard composting provided more ways to make an impact.

Homecoming Comedy Headliner: Sarah Sherman (Feb. 6)

Saturday Night Live’s Sarah Sherman took the stage at the Center for the Arts, delivering a night of laughs. Students packed the venue for this exciting Homecoming tradition.

Homecoming Festival & Tailgate (Feb. 8)

Before the big game, Mason Nation gathered in Lot L outside EagleBank Arena for the Homecoming Festival. Students enjoyed food trucks, games, giveaways, and music, making it the perfect lead-up to game day.

Homecoming 2025 was a week to remember, bringing together students, alumni, and the Mason community to celebrate school spirit and service. Thank you to everyone who participated and made this year’s Homecoming a success. See you next year!

Original Story by Shayla Brown, Jan 27, 2025

Students from George Mason University’s Competitive Cybersecurity (MCC) club have dominated in multiple national competitions. The team got 1st place in the 2024 VMI CyberFusion and 2nd place in the 2024 Spring National Cyber League. 

Next, the students will be competing in the inaugural DistrictCon Hacker Conference on February 21-22. 

“We'll be presenting live demos with our exploits in front of a judge and audience. So, we'll basically go from not having access to a certain device to showing that we can get access in the eight different attack vectors that we discovered,” said club president Dylan Knoff, a junior computer science major.

This demonstration is known as the junkyard competition, and the device they’re hacking is a router. In preparation for the demo, the team is conducting multiple analyses and rehearsing talking points for verification of their research.

“We basically ripped the firmware off of it, which is the code that runs on embedded devices like this one,” said Knoff, who participated in the International Cybersecurity Championship in Chile with the U.S. Cyber Team.

“We utilized hardware debugging interfaces on the device to both find potential bugs by analyzing our own local copy of the firmware and confirm their existence and exploitability by trying to trigger them on the live device and utilizing the debug interface exposed,” he said.

In addition to Knoff, his teammates Danyaal Shaozab and Ryan Murphy will also participate in the junkyard competition and other cybersecurity challenges including “capture the flag,” also called CTF, where the teams receive challenges, such as web app exploitation, binary exploitation, cryptography, reverse engineering, forensics, and a description that they must solve and then get a flag that is redeemed for points.

In September 2023, MCC hosted its own international CTF event, attracting more than 3,000 participants and 1,600 teams as well as hosted PatriotCTF 2024 attracting over 5400 participants and 2200 teams. The club practices are offensive cybersecurity, which is a type of ethical hacking used to evaluate and determine a system’s security, Murphy explained.

Murphy, who transferred to George Mason from Virginia Peninsula Community College as a part of the Mason Virginia Promise, has been passionate about cybersecurity since middle school and participated in CyberPatriot, a national youth cyber education program.

“I'm still pretty new at George Mason, but it's been a really good experience so far,” said Murphy, a junior cyber security engineering major. “I got involved with the club from the get- go because they're a bunch of like-minded people and I’m really grateful for the opportunities the club and the university have offered me.”

The team will have two time slots and two presentations. They plan to do a dry run the day before the conference, as well as more analysis to solidify the information, said Murphy.

Shaozab is currently working as an associate vulnerability researcher at TFP0 Labs, a Reston-based security research firm. Shaozab’s role entails finding and exploiting vulnerabilities of various security systems and he compares his professional responsibilities to that of his club and school assignments.

“Working with Dylan and Ryan is great. We all have similar career goals, and it makes projects and assignments a lot easier,” said Shaozab, who is a senior cyber security engineering major.

Shaozab credits his courses, including CYSE 465 Transportation Systems Design, for helping him prepare for the upcoming competition.

“Dr. [Tanvir] Arafi is a very smart professor and a very talented individual in this field. His course really helped me hone my cyber techniques,” he said.

Shaozab explained that the team is focused on exploiting the [Control Area Network] bus, which is like the nervous system of a vehicle, allowing different components like the engine, brakes, and doors to communicate with each other. “Exploiting it involves sending malicious messages in the CAN bus to manipulate the car's function, such as unlocking doors or starting the engine,” he said.

“What made this particularly interesting to me is that I'm a huge car enthusiast, so being able to merge my passion for cars and cybersecurity was a unique experience. Getting hands-on with that in a classroom setting made it even more engaging. It’s rare to get that kind of knowledge taught in schools,” he said.

Dr. Nandini Koka, executive director of Student Health Services at
George Mason University. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of
University Branding

November 22, 2024 / By Lauren Reuscher
Nandini Koka, MD
Job: Executive Director, Student Health Services

Nandini Koka joined George Mason University in April 2023 as executive director of Student Health Services, where she leads a staff of nearly 50, that includes doctors, nurse practitioners, counselors, and nurses. As a medical doctor with training in family medicine and urgent care, she is passionate about helping patients get better quickly and enhancing access to care. At the largest and fastest-growing public research university in Virginia, Koka has found a place where the need for that care continues to grow.

The doctor is in: In her role, Koka provides direction and leadership for Student Health Services to ensure students receive quality clinical care. She also serves as a medical advisor and resource to campus leaders on health-related matters. In a post-pandemic world, where many aspects of health care remain an urgent community need, her input is essential across George Mason's Campuses.

Helping the student body: Koka knows that learning is not confined to the classroom, and some of the biggest lessons can address a fundamental part of students’ lives: their health.

“I am excited to work at George Mason because of the opportunity to care for a diverse student population,” said Koka. “I want to help guide students as they become advocates for their own health and create goals to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Appointments on the books: Last year, Student Health Services had 16,500 student interactions—this includes in-person and telehealth visits, lab work, and nurse triage interactions across the Fairfax, Mason Square, and Science and Technology campuses.

Koka knows this number could go even higher. One of her primary goals is to increase awareness of the health services available to students.

“One of the biggest challenges we face is creating awareness around Student Health Services and the fact that we are a full-service medical clinic,” said Koka.

Addressing the body and mind: “We continue to see the need for mental health care as a challenge in the community,” said Koka. “Student Health Services has a unique approach to behavioral health, as we utilize a collaborative care model.”

In this model, medical providers partner with behavioral health counselors to co-manage the care of students. Koka says that this team approach has given students more touchpoints with clinicians and provides a more holistic care model.

Additionally, all patients who visit Student Health Services are given a mental health screening at their first visit, and once a year thereafter. Primary care providers are a key point to identify concerns related to mental health.

Finding ways to make it cost-free: Sexual and reproductive care is another critical area of need at Student Health Services. “We have partnered with a community organization to provide free sexually transmitted infection (STI) services to students throughout the semester,” said Koka. “We continue to look for ways to expand access to services for our students.”

Fostering a supportive community: A dynamic campus community is what brought Koka to higher education. “I have been able to interact with our students and see their excitement about being here at George Mason and wanting to be a part of this community,” said Koka.

Rest as part of health: Outside of work, Koka enjoys spending time with her family. “Our two daughters keep us busy with soccer and dance, and we have fun going to the games and watching the performances,” said Koka. To relax, she might go for a run, play with her dog, or try out new recipes.

George Mason University's commitment to innovative and transformative programs has once again been recognized on a national scale. University Life’s Contemporary Student Services team has been selected as the NASPA 2024 Excellence Award Category Bronze Honoree, showcasing the university's dedication to serving its diverse student population. 

NASPA, the leading association for the advancement of the student affairs profession, annually recognizes outstanding contributions to higher education through exceptional programs, innovative services, and effective administration. The Excellence Awards cover twelve categories crucial to student success and the growth of the student affairs profession, highlighting initiatives that address critical needs in various student demographics. 

The Contemporary Student Services (CSS) unit, which supports off-campus, post-traditional, and military-connected students at Mason, stood out in the category for Commuter, Off-Campus, Military-Connected, Non-traditional, and Related students.  

Launched in 2019, CSS was developed and continues to serve as a first-of-its-kind unit dedicated to serving the emerging and current contemporary student populations of Mason. CSS advocates, celebrates, educates, and serves to create and support a Mason community where each student belongs, realizes, thrives, and succeeds. CSS is intentionally collaborative across Mason and the broader community. 

Contemporary students and their needs continue to evolve and accordingly, CSS has taken a “test and learn” approach to its work.  

Part of this work is to ensure contemporary students have a “seat at the table” -- and that they are encouraged to share their experience and expertise with their student colleagues and the broader community. One example is CSS’ expanded student staff roles – a newly established Contemporary Student Ambassador position that provides students the opportunity for leadership experiences while being compensated for time, ideas, insights, and sharing experience. 

Led by Director Joisanne Rodgers and Associate Director Shyama Kuver, Contemporary Student Services has become a cornerstone of the University Life vision that “Every Student Succeeds.” 

“Receiving the NASPA Excellence Award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our Contemporary Student Services team,” said Dr. Rodgers.“It reflects Mason's commitment to providing innovative and transformative experiences for all its students, regardless of their background or circumstances.”